Indholdsfortegnelse for May 2023 i Sea Angler

A million quid: that’s how much money the government is making available to improve the infrastructure of sea angling in the first round of funding from the UK Seafood Fund Infrastructure Scheme – the result of recreational fishing being included in the post-Brexit UK Fisheries Act. Fishing clubs, federations, private businesses (such as charter boats) and local authorities are amongst the organisations that can all apply to get their hands on between £10,000 and £100,000 of match funded money to improve recreational sea fishing. There’s never been a better opportunity to help keep people fishing by taking advantage of the money available. Find out more about the scheme and how to apply in our news special on page 86. SPECIMEN SPECIAL This month we focus on targeting ‘specimen’ fish: those…

Berkley has been one of the leading manufacturers in the world of fishing lines for many years. Their contribution to the development of nylon fishing lines stretches back to 1959. Along with Dutch chemical group DSM, Berkley was the founder of the development of dyneema, the first braided line in the world. You may already be aware of their Fireline, Trilene 100 per cent fluorocarbon and the recently introduced Fluoroshield lines. The epicentre of where these lines are developed is Berkley’s science lab in Spirit Lake, Iowa (USA). This is where fishing lines are developed, tested and make it to the final product which is ready to go out into the world. COMPLICATED Creating a modern, high-tech fishing monofilament (nylon) line is fairly basic in how it is made; however,…

FANCY WINNING A NEW ROD AND REEL COMBO from Okuma by catching a great fish? In our catch competition, your target is to catch one over the weight given on our nominated species list. If you do, enter our contest and you automatically stand a chance of winning either our shore or boat prize. Each issue we award a superb Okuma package to the captor of the best shore fish and best boat-caught fish, both chosen on merit. Prizes are awarded at our discretion and Okuma reserves the right to send alternative prizes. MONTHLY WINNERS: SHORE: Rob Mundy, GrimsbyBOAT: Chris Ellis, Penzance HOW TO ENTER Entry by email only to sa.ed@kelsey.co.uk Please supply these details: angler’s name, age, address, telephone number, email, type of fish, weight of fish, where caught,…

Depending on where in the world it is caught, the rainbow runner, Elagatis bipinnulata, is also known as the rainbow yellowtail, Spanish jack and Hawaiian salmon. Rainbow runners are a common species of pelagic fish; a member of the jack family that is widespread throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the world. They are found in both coastal and offshore areas. The rainbow runner is easily distinguished by its elongated body shape and the brilliant colour which gives the fish its name. The colour of the fish is possibly the easiest way to identify it and the reason for its common name. The upper body is a dark olive blue to green, fading to white underneath. Two narrow, light blue to bluish white stripes run along the sides, with…

The set-up includes a 14ft Mitchell Riptide R surfcasting rod. The Riptide R Surfcasting Rods are designed with the most cutting-edge technology and produced to the highest quality. The lightweight rod features saltwater resistant components and has a high-density carbon construction and is dressed with braid friendly Sic saltwater guides. Paired with the rod is the Shakespeare Agility surf reel. Purpose built for UK beach fishing, Shakespeare’s new Agility Surf range is designed to handle saltwater use and is thoroughly tested for reliability. The Agility Surf features a large capacity, distance casting spool, matched with a smooth drag system that can be locked down when casting, to maximise power potential. Load your new reel with line from your 400m spool of new line, perfect for most surfcasting species and situations.…

St Brides is the the stretch of coastline that extends in a westerly direction from the West Usk Lighthouse at the mouth of the tidal River Usk at Newport, towards Cardiff. The area to the east of The Lighthouse pub consists of boulders backed by a flat, grassy bank. Further to the west you’ll fish from a concrete sea wall. Both of these structures were originally constructed to protect the Gwent Levels from flooding. SPECIES Throughout the 1970s I spent a lot of time fishing this area; it’s where I learned the basics of sea angling, however back then the fishing was very different to what it is today. In those days silver eels formed the bulk of our catches, along with pouting, Dover sole, flounder and an occasional strap…

£25 TACKLE VOUCHER WINNERS Fishingmegastore.com awards a £25 voucher prize to each of two winners - the youngster with the best shore fish and another with the top boat catch. The winners can use the voucher to select tackle from Fishingmegastore.com which is based in Glasgow and Edinburgh. ■ Send your Young Rods entries by email to sa.ed@kelsey.co.uk…

PART II Incredibly, between 1972 and 1986 the coalfish record was broken a further five times. The next incumbent in 1973 was Bristol’s Tony Harris, with another fish from JJ McVicars’ June Lipet, tipping the scales to 30lb 12oz. One of the most memorable trips of mine was with JJ aboard June Lipet to a wreck more than 30 miles from the coast. We left Plymouth Barbican at 7am and were abeam the Eddystone reef 50 minutes later. It had long disappeared from view when the Decca numbers brought us to the wreck. It was a ‘fishing for the boat’ trip and “use killer gear” was the instruction, with two or three snoods carrying RedGills, also known locally as The Mevagissey. The first drift showed clearly what was in store:…

ASK THE EXPERTS When sending your question, please remember to include your name and address IAN BOWELL Ian is the vice chairman of the Sea Anglers Match Federation and our shore fishing expert. DAVE LEWIS Based in Newport, South Wales, our contributing editor Dave answers boat fishing questions. JOHN HOLDEN A Sea Angler contrbutor for over four decades specialising in casting and rod building. HENRY GILBEY Angler, blogger and photojournalist Henry, based in Cornwall, is our lure expert. BEN BASSETT The Plymouth angler and blogger will provide answers on the sport of light rock fishing (LRF), the go-anywhere tactic. HOW TO ASK US A QUESTION Email: sa.ed@kelsey. co.uk or online: facebook.com/seaanglermag By asking a question you are giving us permission to use your name and where…

Cornish waters hide more rough ground marks than any other part of the English Channel and most are rich in big pollack, none more so than the Hatt rock to the south of Fowey. The reef is different to all others in Cornish waters in that the main pinnacle is flat topped and of fair size, described by a diver as a ‘plateau’ or a second bottom 100 or so feet above the seabed and with another 70ft of water from there to the surface. The pinnacle is riven with caves and overhangs inhabited by big ballan wrasse and conger eels, both giving fine sport for species enthusiasts. HATT ROCK The Hatt has always been a first-class mark for big pollack and in numbers like the 103 shared by me…

MATCH FISHING MARCH 12: KENT FLOUNDER LEAGUE ROUND 3, GREENHITHE 32 anglers ■ Result: 1st Jackie Pullen, Sheerness, 176cm (not registered); 2nd Andy Reeves, Sheerness, 102cm (2); 3rd Lewis Clark, Rochford, 97cm. 12: NORTH NORFOLK NATIONAL SEA LEAGUE ROUND 6, BACTON, 20 anglers ■ Result: 1st Tom Gibbs, 22 fish, 5lb 11oz, (not registered); 2nd Adrian Bordianu, Taverham, 24 fish, 5lb 9oz, (1); 3rd Bev Self, Yarmouth, 19 fish, 5lb 5oz. Teams: 1st North Norfolk Lads, 2nd Gorleston Tackle, 3rd Norfolk Angling Cub 12: EAST ANGLIAN TEAMS OF FIVE AND OPEN, FELIXSTOWE, 57 anglers ■ Result: 1st Steve Boyt, Felixstowe, 5 fish, 284 points (5); 2nd Rob Tuck, Holland on Sea, 10 fish, 250 points (4); 3rd Robert Stebbings, Aldeburgh, 5 fish, 181 points (3). Zone winners: Z2, Steve Adams…

The sea is tranquil this morning. In the pre-dawn gloom it sits like a cracked mirror, as only the gentlest wind-riffle ripples the glassy surface that reflects the shattered moonlight and a billion fractured stars back up toward the sky. There isn’t the faintest sound. In this entire cloudless world, it would appear that I am the solitary person awake and, but for the gentle sighing shift of the tide as it pushes up the sand, I might be no more than a figure caught in a black and white print of the world rather than part of the world itself. No lights from the nearby houses; no early risers, no dog walkers and thus, no conversation save for the thoughts in my own head as I run through them…

With the emergence of Norway as such a hugely popular destination for British sea anglers after the turn of the millennium, anglers’ expectations of what constituted a ‘specimen cod’ increased dramatically. Prior to this a double figure cod would have been regarded as being a decent fish, a specimen even in some areas. Before the availability of fishing in Norway most UK based sea anglers would never get to see, let alone catch, a 20lb cod; a 30lber was the fish of most sea anglers’ dreams. Certainly, any cod weighing over 40lb, or dare I say 50lb, would have been the subject of fantasy. However, within a few years Norway changed this. Enormous fish, cod of such a previously unimaginable size that they were once regarded as being as common…

How to improve your casting skills Building every cast on a solid, consistent foundation brings the smooth bait delivery so important for beach fishing. Off-ground is the best way to learn because everything from stance to sinker position is pre-set in an A,B,C sequence. Of the several off-ground styles, I’d recommend the Easy Cast, aka Brighton style, for its blend of simplicity and excellent performance. What if the set-up is neat but the casting remains plagued by poor distances and little control? Where’s the smooth, effortless flow we saw in the YouTube instructional videos? It’s a common complaint, and actually a mess like this is a great step forward because it highlights a few errors shared by almost all of us to begin with. The single biggest cause of casting…

Last year’s big money (the winners walked away with £50,000) Sea Angling Classic was won by the Smartfish team fishing from owner Will Parkinson’s custom designed boat. With the team preparing to defend their title at the 2023 event, and the boat now in production for you to be able to buy one, we caught up with Will for a look at the boat, how it’s kitted out and why it’s making waves. The boat was first brought over to the UK by Smartfish UK in 2020. Appointed in black and grey it looks a bit like a Royal Navy assault boat which should be intercepting drug smugglers rather than a fishing boat. It’s certainly distinctive amongst the white fibreglass of most other boats. Berthed on the water in Portsmouth,…

It was coming to the end of February and and the Sea Angling Adventures team were ready to take the long road up to the East Riding of Yorkshire to take part and help cover the social media as part of the events team who host the European Open Beach Championships. There is something very special about this event as it is the single biggest sea angling event held in Europe with around 1500 anglers taking part from all over the country, all trying to win the big prize money on offer. With it being the 29th anniversary of the event, word around campfire was that it was about to be a very busy one with record breaking numbers. It’s something I look forward to every year, and the special…

MAY PENN PLUS ● 6-7: Holt Sea Anglers Bass festival, Bacton. For booking and more information contact Mike Watts: 07858 758669 or Tony Thomas: 07780 793141 thomasamt@btinternet.com ● 6: Samalite Chesil League round 4 of 11, Chesil Centre, 5-10pm, best eight results from 11, couple of rule changes which means the league will be catch, measure and release to the new SAMF chart for all species. Fish may be kept for the table or for bait but must be marked by snipping the tail after it has been recorded. No crab, including cart, whites or maddies. Pre-book only, Dave Lane 07977 132951 Dave Lane: lanedc@talktalk.net ● 7: Marine Beach, 11.45-3.45pm, book on at kite shop car park 10am, 2 hooks, £20 entry, pegged 15cm min size, pre-book only Hutch 07547…